Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward inducted 40 Arkansas farms into the Arkansas Century Farm Program. The Arkansas Century Farm Program recognizes Arkansas farms of 10 acres or more owned by the same family for at least a century.

The Arkansas Agriculture Department began the Century Farm program in 2012 as a way to highlight the contributions of these families to the agriculture industry well as their overall contributions to the state. Agriculture is Arkansas’s largest industry, contributing more than $20 billion to the state’s economy annually and providing one in every six jobs in the state. Arkansas consistently ranks in the top 25 nationally in the production of 23 agricultural commodities.

“Through obstacles and challenges you have maintained your commitment to your farm and to your family. When families are strong, our communities are strong, and our state is strong,” Hutchinson said to the Century Farm families.